This invention relates to gardening. More particularly, this invention relates to container gardening and a planter for growing of plants, such as flowers, herbs, vegetables, and the like.
One of the most versatile and creative forms of gardening is container gardening. Planting a container garden is much like creating a floral arrangement. However, live plants can be enjoyed for a longer period of time than can cut flowers. Almost any plant can be grown in a container when proper growing conditions are provided. Container gardens can add a temporary splash of color and art wherever desired. The biggest disadvantages to growing plants in containers are the maintenance requirements of watering and fertilizing. Moreover, the types of containers used in container gardening have not permitted plants to reach their growth potential.
According to conventional wisdom, plants can be grown in anything that will hold soil and allow proper drainage. Some of the more traditionally used containers include terra cotta (clay) pots, plastic pots, hanging baskets, wire baskets lined with sphagnum moss or fibrous liners, concrete planters, planter boxes, whiskey barrels, 5-gallon buckets, tubs, and bushel baskets. Other containers that have been used for growing plants include wooden or plastic window boxes, wooden wine crates, tires, bags of potting soil, garbage bags filled with growth medium (called a sausage garden), and even an old boot. The criteria used for selecting containers typically include making sure that the container has a hole for adequate drainage and that the container is large enough to hold the minimum amount of soil required for mature plants to grow in. In addition, the type of container used depends on the location and the plant selected. For example, use of black containers in full sun should be avoided such that the soil does not become overheated and kill the plants. Terra cotta and other porous containers tend to wick water away from the plants, retain salts, and deteriorate over time. Another criterion believed to be important by many people for selecting a container is the appearance of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,672 to Sanderson discloses a modular column planter comprising lower, middle, and upper containers. Each container has a bottom connecting with a sidewall that extends upwardly to define a top opening. The bottom of the lower container includes a post, and the bottoms of the middle and upper containers contain an opening with a hollow column and a lower column extension positioned thereabout. The planter is formed by fitting the respective bottoms of the middle and upper containers in the top openings of the lower and middle containers. The column extension of the middle container fits into the upper end of the post of the lower container, and the column extension of the upper container fits into the upper end of the column of the middle container, thereby forming a watering tube. The planter is used by filling the upper, middle, and lower containers with soil and then planting the roots of plants in the soil such that the foliage portions of these plants grow out from the sidewall openings in the middle and lower containers. Plants in the upper container are rooted such that their foliage grows upwardly from the top opening. Soil in the lower and middle containers is moistened by filling the watering tube, which then discharges to plants growing outward through openings in the sidewalls of these containers.
While prior art containers and container gardening methods are known and are generally suitable for their limited purposes, they possess certain inherent deficiencies that detract from their overall utility in growing plants. For example, traditional containers do not permit the plants to approach their growth potential and produce the mass of foliage that could be produced if growth were not inhibited.
In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that providing a container and method of use thereof that facilitates growth of an immense amount of foliage would be a significant advancement in the art.